Defending Kerry against his supporters

Greg at The Talent Show heaps some well-deserved shame on fellow Democrats who are not supporting the Kerry campaign as they should. Don't forget that a dedication to party loyalty is what gets the Republicans in power, keeps them there, and also pulls the platform rightward. There's no reason to think that a little solidarity couldn't do the same for us, even help us pull the party leftward.

But that's an old argument. Greg is reality-checking people on a number of issues, not the least of which is to remind them that John Kerry is a good man and likely to be a good President, and is not a boring ABB candidate. This paragraph is also of interest:

I've heard so many wishy-washy liberals lately say "If he won't defend himself, can he defend us against terrorists?". Well, if being a ruthless campaigner is the most important criteria for you, go vote for Bush. But before you do, let me remind you that the guy who's doing such a great job against his political opponent has done a pretty shitty job against al Qaeda.

Anyone who says this is talking about stuff they know nothing about. Kerry is not a wimp or a coward. He has a distinguished history of standing up against corruption, and there is no doubt that he will take that courage and put it to use in our fight to root out terrorism. Rooting out the crap is exactly what he's good at.

As Greg points out, being a good campaigner is not the same thing as being a good person in the job. In fact, I would consider it a strike against your ability to do the job, because if you are good at the smooth lying that is part of a great campaign, then you will have no reason to keep yourself accountable to the voters. Look at Bush--he knows he can crap all over D.C. because he has some of the best campaigners in the world to spray perfume all over his shit.